How stressed are you?

Take the first step in coping with stress today.

Are you tense much of the time? Do you have frequent headaches, neck or back aches? Or, do you have trouble sleeping?

While stress is a given in life and may motivate us to do our best, learning to recognize when it is a problem is vital to feeling well. The effects of stress can creep up on you and are often the result of events or life changes. These changes, both positive and negative, make demands on you. A serious illness or separation in the family will of course increase your stress level. But happy events like marriage or a new child can also tax your physical and emotional resources. Good or bad, stress can cause serious long term issues if not dealt with appropriately.

When stress builds

You can feel the effects of stress from one single large event, or as a series of small ones accumulate. Even small stressors in your life such as, aches and pains, a daily commute or ever-present background noise, if sustained or combined with other stressors, can take their toll. Research has shown that as stress builds, we become more susceptible to physical illness, mental and emotional problems, and accidental injuries.

Awareness is the first step in coping with stress.Take a moment out of your busy life to tune in to your own stress signals by taking the test below. While we may become so accustomed to the symptoms of stress that we don’t actually pay attention to them, they are not normal. Some of the listed symptoms could even indicate a medical condition that warrants prompt attention. Most of the time, they are simply signs that too much stress may be affecting your sense of well-being.

The Stress Test

1. Do you have headaches or stomach aches?
2. Do you have pain in your shoulders or arms?
3. Have your eating habits changed? Are you eating more or less than usual?
4. Do you worry about bad things happening to your loved ones?
5. Is it hard to concentrate?
6. Do you wake up at night thinking about things you have no control over?
7. Do you lack energy to do the things you enjoy at the end of the day or on the weekend?
8. Do you often feel tired or apathetic?
9. Are you tense or irritable at work or at home?
10. Have you lost your sense of humor?
11. Are you increasingly forgetful?
12. Do you feel you have lost control over your life?
13. Do your relationships or friendships feel unsatisfying?
14. Has your drinking or smoking increased?
15. Do you find it hard to relax?

How did you do?

If you answered “yes” to more than half of the questions in the box, you may want to take steps now to reduce your stress. Putting it off will only increase your stress levels.

Now what?

Sometimes facing a problem on the job or in a relationship will help decrease tension and anxiety. Even if a problem isn’t easily solved, talking about it with a trusted friend or counselor can bring relief from the symptoms of stress.

Making more time to relax may leave you more resilient and less prone to disease and injury. Go for walks in beautiful places and take breaks at work to stretch. Learn relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga or tai chi. Get an extra bodywork session or give acupuncture a try. You may even want to ask your practitioner to use part of your session to focus on breathing more efficiently, a proven method of reducing tension in the body.

If your stress levels are beginning to cause physical health issues, don’t wait. Take care of the problem now before it develops into something more serious later. At the very least, talk to your doctor about the symptoms that you are experiencing and what your next step should be.

Just remember that it’s not always about eliminating stress. More often than not it’s about recognizing the stress in our lives and changing our perception. And most of the time it’s the smallest changes that make the biggest impact.

About Leona Harter, L.Ac.

Leona Harter, M.Ac., L.Ac., LMT, loves to heal things through the power of Acupuncture, Massage Therapy, Qigong, Yoga and Herbs in her private practice at Leona Harter Acupuncture and Wellness in Southeast Georgia. She also maintains a practice at Advanced Healthcare Center in Jesup, GA, where she works with other medical providers to provide a multidisciplinary approach as needed. She guides her patients on their path of self-discovery while offering natural healing techniques that can be incorporated into any daily routine. She can be connected with via Facebook or via email at info@leonaharter.com.

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